Saturday, September 10, 2016

SATURDAY EVENING CONVERSATIONS - Author M.R. Graham

AUTHORM.R. GRAHAM⚫As with my other author interviews, I had M.R. GRAHAMchoose ten questions from Vanity Fair's version of the PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE; with the eleventh question being my choice of their life's motto.

I first became aware of M.R. Graham's wonderful writing when I won a copy of her book, THE MEDIUM, from Goodreads over two years ago. It became my favorite vampire story. I fell in love with electric blanket loving Lenny, the stuttering vampire. I have since read all of the currently published BOOKS OF LOST KNOWLEDGE, and two of her co-written Children's books. The newest M.R. offering on my to read pile is NO CAGE FOR A CROW. It is the first part of a serialized tale about Morrigan Holmes, Sherlock's sister. The Medium is currently 99 cents as an ebook (free Kindle Unlimited), and No Cage For a Crow is also less than a dollar (free Kindle Unlimited), so sampling her writing will certainly be kind to your wallet!

I woud like to welcome M.R. to my humble little blog tonight. ◼◼◼1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?▪I’m not really one for giddy excitement. Not my cup of tea. I’d far prefer quiet contentment. So, an absence of pain and stress. Everyone I love safe. (Ideally, everybody everywhere safe.) No financial fear. Add enough books to keep me busy and enough pens and paper for the flexing of creative muscles, and I’ll be happy to live until I die. I think I may be a hobbit at heart: no adventures necessary.

2. What is your greatest extravagance?▪Books. Golly. I own several thousand books and can’t seem to prevent myself from acquiring more. They’re definitely my largest non-vital expenditure. I thought that discovering ebooks would stem the tide, or at least free up some physical space, but the actual result was that I now hoard them both in real space and cyberspace. I can’t even pretend that they’re a necessity (although they totally are), because I acquire them faster than I can read them. I have loads that have been sitting around, un-read, for years. But, as far as compulsive behaviors go, there are worse things than book-hoarding.

3. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?▪“I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one's self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one's own powers.”I especially loathe the societal norm that compels women to respond to all compliments with deflection at best, and self-degradation at worst. Braggadocio may be may be more annoying, but modesty is deadly.

4. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?▪Earlier, I realized with a start that I’d used the word “debacle” no fewer than seven times this week. I can’t explain that and won’t try.I’m also a terrible abuser of “um” and “y’know” in conversation.

5. Which talent would you most like to have?▪Languages. I don’t blush to say that my English is above average, sometimes exceptional, and I would dearly love to be able to craft beautiful sentences in multiple languages. Duolingo is helping, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the best I can ever do is apologize for my terrible [Insert Language Here].

6. Where would you most like to live?▪Oh, do you really want to know? I’ll stick to the Cliff Notes version.England. A small village – the smaller, the better – close enough to London for day trips. A Beatrix Potter village with ivy and thatch and ducks and rain and a very, very old church. A place where a retired lady professor can fill a cottage with books.

7. What is your most marked characteristic?▪Well, my most remarked characteristic is standoffishness. Most of the people I know have, at one point or another, told me something along the lines of “You know, you’re much nicer than I thought you were at first.” “You know, when we first met, I thought you were super… aloof, that’s the word.” “You know, everyone thinks you’re, like, really arrogant. I keep telling them you’re not, but they won’t believe me.”I blame it on a bad case of RBF.

8. Who are your favorite writers?▪Oh, the list is very long, as I acquire new ones as often as I can. The perennial favorites include Arthur Conan Doyle, Laurie R. King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, P.G. Wodehouse, G.K. Chesterton, Ann Radcliffe, Jodi Lamm, and G.D. Falksen. (What a lot of initials.)

9. Which historical figure do you most identify with?▪I’m not quite sure whether to answer with someone I admire or with someone in whom I see myself, so I’ll go with the middlest ground I can think of. Maria Montessori. She was brilliant, tortured, repressed, progressive, compassionate, determined, and saw education not as “women’s work” to be dismissed, but in its rightful place as the most important institution in society. Go find a biography right now.

10. How would you like to die?▪Quickly, if at all possible. I don’t actually mind the thought of dying. Never have. It doesn’t frighten me. I rather vehemently don’t want to, and I’ll fight to stay alive, but it doesn’t scare me. I mind the thought of other people dying, of being left behind. I mind the thought of a protracted illness stealing away my faculties and leaving me helpless. But if I can’t die peacefully in my sleep at the age of a thousand and two, a twenty-storey drop sounds like the way to go. At least I’d get to fly for a moment before the end.
▪▪▪What is your motto?Motto as in words to live by, or motto as in catchphrase?If the former: “Neither knowledge nor imagination can exist on its own. If knowledge is the skeleton, imagination is the musculature. The first gives form to the second, but the second gives movement and direction to the first.”

If the latter: “Well, that didn’t go quite as expected.”
▫▫▫L.L. - May I borrow your catchphrase? Ha! Thank you so much for taking the time to sift through all of the Proust questions for me. I always enjoy reading your thoughts around social media and enjoyed having you all to myself for a little while tonight.

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Hello! I am a 59 year old reader of books, many of which are YA, and literacy volunteer. I am retired from the music business, have a 25 year old son at university, believe in ghosts, and love a couple of martinis on Friday nights.

HIGHLIGHTS

Brilliant! The Imagery was stellar and the story was relatable. This would make a wonderful anime. What a spectacular way to finish up my year in reading! I was approved for this eARC , via Netgalley, in return for an honest review. I wi...

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I think every teen should read this book.
4.5 stars on my blog. Why not a perfect five stars? Because I was bored out of my skull for the first 30% of this book. However, the last 50% is so much more than fabulous it almost totally made...

4.5 Stars on my blog. I accidentally requested this title on Edelweiss thinking it was The Fixer, and I am extremely happy I did! This book dealt with several sensitive issues that affect many young adults, and did it in a realistic way....

This book is spectacular! It follows a single building in Paris from 1300 to modern day. You see the building go through structural changes brought on by fires and rebuilding, changes in architectural "fashion" and upgrades, and bombing ...

Okay Goodreads, you had better be getting back to me about why my reviews are missing. Here is #12. I will have to go and copy and paste my Netgalley feedback, which was highly praising of this book, by the way!

Ha ha ha, 6.5 out of 5 on my blog if I could! This is probably the best Adult Fantasy book I have read... in my life! My review, if you like fantasy, JUST READ IT. READ IT NOW! NOW!
I have never put a gif in a Goodreads mini-review, but...

4.5 stars on my blog only because she fumbled around a little at the end to tie all plot threads together and also forgot one. An intricately woven Adult Fantasy about the origin of tarot cards, based in our modern world and an alternate...

4.5 on my blog. This book was entertaining as well as informative. The city was based on a real city that existed in Hong Kong before 1987. I have a lot of thoughts about this book and will be back to add to this mini-reciew at a decent ...

Ths is the very first time I am not going to give a book a star rating. Why? Because as an adult reading this story I LOVED IT and would give it 4.5 on my blog.
But as a Middle Grade... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!! IT I...

To quote one of my favorite authors, Kristen Lippert-Martin, "The weirdest book I ever loved."
WARNING: This novel is not about sandcastles and ninjas.
* I think I will join Elizabeth for some popcorn and pudding.

Four stars on my blog. Why the whole star difference? Well, I know I doesn't help much, but what's up with those 2 stars ratings people?! I haven't read their reasons yet, but I will bet they are those dunderheads that say they don't lik...

4.5 stars on the blog only because there were so many secondary characters I was confused at times, until the late 25% of the book. Lol. Yeah, too many parents called by their first names. This novel has been called a story within a stor...

Um... this is the third time since the beginning of the year that there has been a disappearing rating and mini-review. I know the reviews were here because all three of them were pasted to either EW, NetG, or Amazon (sometimes all three...

This book was actually a 4 1/2, but it was one I didn't want to round down because I loved it so much. As I said in my comments it reminded me of The Casual Vacancy in style, but far less serious. It was basically a read in one sitting b...

This novel has everything I look for in a YA Fantasy story. The author gives a solid history base for the world, no-nonsense physics rules for the environment, original images, just the right amount of description for the setting to ligh...

HIGHLIGHTS

This will be 4.5 stars on my blog only because I loved the second book in this trilogy even MORE! I loved these books so much I bought all three in hardcover for my shelves. As soon as I finish the final book I will be reviewing the tril...

I will be reviewing this trilogy as a whole on my blog soon. The first two books I read pre-blogging, and I have a huge list of those early YA books which need to be reviewed. Thank goodness I read mostly series and I can review those ea...

4.5 on my blog only because I loved the second book so much. Please don't let the covers of this trilogy fool you, they are not Romance novels, I get so tired of seeing fabulous YA stories rated one and two stars because they aren't drip...

4.5 stars on my blog. I can't believe I hadn't reviewed this here yet! I am waiting to read all three books to do a blanket review on my blog because it is an older book, and the third book is supposed to be published in the US soon (it ...

This is a hidden jewel! I found this book in paperback on a $1.00 book rack at Dollar General. After I started my book blog I began scouring all of the Dollar Generals in my area for other copies to have as giveaways, but it was to no av...

See the 4 1/2 star review, with gifs and fandom links, on my blog here ----> http://lalatoadstone.blogspot.com/2014/01/splintered-my-first-blog-review.html
I was introduced to this book by two 13 year olds, Rabbit and Whisper, from a bo...

Refreshingly real and gritty! No kissy facing or love triangles; just in your face life in a dystopian world. Fen is a strong and courageous heroine, who tugs at your heart and amazes you with her facility to be both warrior and gentle c...

I would give this novel 5 and 1/2 stars if I could. What is solidifying about this review is I came into reading this book wanting to hate it because of all of the "funny business" surrounding it's pre-publication. I was pretty smug duri...

4.5 stars on my blog. After reading the first chapter I thought it was going to be just another "cookie cutter" YA Dystopian novel, but I couldn't have been more wrong!! Ms. Kipling imagines a very unique and thought provoking dystopian ...

A delightful, delicious, charming, heart-warming Middle Grade book with a message. It was like Steel Magnolias meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid wrapped up in Cinderella. This sounds so cliche, but I literally could not put it down, and I pulle...

Drum roll please...
One of my rare five star ratings!!!!
This book was exquisite, and I will be back after I have had a chance to let all of its deliciousness sink in. Brava, M.R. Graham for penning a vampire book to rival all vampire ...

I will be back with a review of this lovely book. I wanted to rate it as soon as I was finished and give it a "must read" nod. This was my first experience with Contemporary YA and it was a fabulous one! Here is the link to my full blog ...

A smooth luxurious read. I was just about finished with a full long review of this beautiful novel when the Goodread's tab dropped out, and I lost it all (damn Kindle Fire HD). I am so upset right now I can not bring myself to start over...

4.5 stars on my blog. I am so in love with this story. I was in a horrible reading slump when I picked this book up. It was probably the fifth or sixth book I had tried. I wasn't expecting to become fully engaged within the first few pag...

Well, I wrote a pretty good sized mini-review here and while I was proof reading, it jumped to another page and *poof*, all gone. I am so red-faced and fist angry right now I can't rewrite it, so... I will just say READ THIS BOOK!!! It i...